


Always there

by myorangemilkboys



Series: Red Bull gives you... mental health issues [1]
Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Gen, Jos Verstappen's A+ Parenting, turkey gp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:48:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27664277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myorangemilkboys/pseuds/myorangemilkboys
Summary: Two times Max was hiding after qualifying. Two times a certain Canadian found him. But there was just one person who was always there.
Relationships: Lance Stroll & Max Verstappen
Series: Red Bull gives you... mental health issues [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022800
Comments: 1
Kudos: 42





	Always there

**Author's Note:**

> I should be doing homework and prepare a presentation for school but wrote this instead, hope the story makes kind of sense :)

He knew that he would be found by someone sooner or later. But why him? Didn’t he humiliate him enough already? What has he done to deserve this? And still, he didn’t leave, even though he had enough reasons for that. Shouldn’t he be celebrating with his team now? Two cars in the top 3 in qualifying. Max couldn’t remember this ever happening before. And yet, Lance was still kneeling beside him, giving him a worried look. They should be on their way to the official press conference by now. Max didn’t want to go at all though, he just wanted to stay in this little hiding space he has found, far away from the others.

“Go away!” He just wanted to be left alone. And if he wanted to talk to someone he would take anyone else over that Canadian, who just got him into this situation in the first place. Was it really Lance though, who got him in this situation? Or was it rather his own lack of performance today?

“We should be going to the press conference now, you know that, right?”, asked Lance as he got back on his feet. “If you want me to I can give you 5 more minutes to go and calm down a bit if I tell them you got an urgent call or something”

Max shook his head when he heard the offer. “We better just get going now. Just needed a few quiet minutes for myself I guess. I can do this”

But deep down he already knew that he couldn’t do this. He was panicking already while he followed Lance to the conference room like an embarrassed child that has been naughty. He already felt so bad about his results already, and the way he waddled into the room behind Lance was the last bit of public humiliation he could take for the day. As soon as this was over he would get back into his motor-home, and stay away from everyone else until tomorrows race.

He kept his answers short during the conference, if he even listened to the questions, as his mind was in a totally different place. He had other things to worry about beside the lack of grip on the tarmac, but apparently none of the journalists asking questions were realizing it. Max has never been close to either Checo or Lance so he didn’t blame them for not giving him a second glance when he basically was running out of the room as soon as it all was over. They and the team really deserved this result considering the awful conditions out there on the track. Lance has really done well today, and yet it still felt like someone took this pole from him and handed it to Lance. He was the one topping every session of the weekend, up until the only one that really counted. Q3 has been the only time of the weekend he just came second, and he just hated being second more than anything else, especially if all your usual competitors were the ones struggling.

No Mercedes has made it into the top 5, and Lance was the first non Mercedes driver to start a race in 2020 from pole position. That was supposed to be his stat. But instead it was Lance who got the pole. And all he got was someone calling him right now. He knew exactly who it was, and what the call was about. Max just felt relieved knowing that he came with his own car this morning, and the caller was still in the Netherlands. But it is not supposed to be like this, or was it? Sons being afraid of their fathers calling them? That was just his normal, but it definitely was not normal. Max was sure of that.

“Hey?”, Max voice was shaking when he picked up the call. He has already seen his father’s face on the display, and knew what this would be about. He looked around, looking for a quiet spot, since he didn't want to have this discussion in the motor-home in front of the whole team. 

Light rain was still drizzling down, and the only spot Max found was the one he also sat in already before the press conference. It was the best option he had right now, as his father was already yelling at him in Dutch, and he had to try his best to hold back the tears that were building up behind his eyes. He has been trying his best all day already, and that was what he told his father too, but Jos didn’t want to listen. No matter how hard he might have tried, he still failed, and this was everything that counted.

Before qualifying Max has promised his father a pole position, but this didn’t work out. Not at all, and now it was his turn to take responsibility for this. He was a bit relieved that Jos hasn’t been to many races this season due to Covid regulations. Jos was furious, and it didn’t sound like he would calm down anytime soon. All Max could do right now was being quiet and taking it. If he tried to talk back and explain himself he would just get himself into more trouble. He has learned this lesson years ago already when he was still racing karts.

In addition to the bad qualifying his neck hurt quite a lot too. Even with the relatively low speeds they were doing in the rain, the g-forces have still pulled on his head quite a bit. For a minute he thought back to the first time he has tested a car and asked for neck padding to help with the g-forces. Even now, over six years later he could see his dad’s grin in front of his inner eye. It was not a happy grin though, as Max would never forget how ridiculed he felt that day, and since then there was not a single bit of padding in any of his cars. He would rather have his head fall off than admit this kind of weakness in front of a team and his father again.

This pain was reminding him of just one thing though; no matter where he went and how far away from home he was, there was still a way for his father to punish him if he wanted to, if Max needed to be punished. Today was one of these days. There were no excuses, so Max just sat in this quiet corner all by himself while listening to his father calling him all kinds of names just for this P2 in qualifying. A result anyone else would be delighted with. But he was not anyone else, he was Max Verstappen, and he had to perform like a Verstappen if he wanted a good relationship with his dad, and wanted Jos to be proud of him.

“Jos? Het spijt me. Ik... Ik beloof je dat het nooit meer zal gebeuren!”, Max was pleading now, all he wanted was this call to end, so that he finally could get back into his motorhome, where he would be warm and could blame himself for today’s results in peace.

Without another word Jos hung up the call and Max didn’t know whether he should be glad that it’s over or terrified of coming home on Monday. He put the phone back into his pocket and wanted to take a moment for himself. That was not possible though, as he suddenly heard another voice behind him.

“Wat zal er nooit meer gebeuren?”

Max has never heard this specific accent before, but he knew the voice too well by now, after listening to him throughout the whole press conference.  
“Since when do you speak Dutch?”, he asked with audible confusioin in his voice, which earned him a chuckle from Lance.

“My mom is from Belgium. I mean I’m not perfect, but can understand most stuff. Was this your dad?”, Lance explained. And just like earlier in the afternoon he knelt down besides Max again.

“Piss off”, he whispered under his breath, “If I ever needed your help, Stroll, I would ask for it!”  
This didn’t bother Lance though. He stayed next to Max for a couple more moments, while Max kept staring at the opposite direction, right into a wall.  
“If you want to talk about anything, I am there. Can’t stand to see you like this. You know where to find me”, with that Lance got up and turned around, walking back to his own motor-home.

For a second Max thought about going after him, and telling him about everything that was going on inside his head right now, but he knew that he just couldn’t explain the thoughts he had to anyone. He didn’t understand most of it himself, so how should he even open up to anyone. The only one he could talk to was his father. Jos always had a solution to everything that was wrong with him and his driving, and his neck still hurting reminded him that he had to pay the price if he wasn’t doing well.

Jos was always there, watching over him, even if he was hundreds of miles away.


End file.
